Ethiopian rebel forces withdraw from Tigray regional capital

Rebel fighters in northern Ethiopia have pulled out of Mekelle, the regional capital of Tigray, as federal troops and allied units advance on the area. The Tigray People's Liberation Front, which administers the northern region, stated that its forces initiated a temporary pullout to avoid endangering local civilians.

Local residents in Mekelle confirmed that pro-government fighters have established control over the city following the departure of TPLF forces, according to BBC News. One inhabitant noted that mobile network connectivity appeared to be returning to certain neighborhoods within the urban center.

The pullout follows weeks of intensified combat across northern Ethiopia, spanning territories in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar. The renewed hostilities threaten to unravel the fragile stability established following the two-year civil war that concluded in 2022 under an African Union-mediated accord signed in Pretoria. Over the past half year, relations between regional authorities and the federal government have steadily collapsed, with both parties trading accusations over breaches of that settlement.

Concerns are growing that the confrontation could expand into a broader regional crisis across the Horn of Africa. Last month, the TPLF formed a coalition with half a dozen other insurgent factions, including Amhara's Fano militia, explicitly seeking to depose the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Regional diplomatic ties have deteriorated rapidly alongside the ground combat. On Friday, the Ethiopian government severed diplomatic channels with neighboring Eritrea after alleging that officials in Asmara were providing backing to the newly created rebel coalition, a charge that the Eritrean government has rejected. Addis Ababa similarly leveled accusations against Egypt, prompting reciprocal expulsions of diplomatic staff between the two capitals.

International representatives have voiced deep alarm over the latest escalation. The United States Department of State urged all parties to show restraint and pursue peaceful dialogue, ahead of talks hosted in Egypt alongside regional leaders. At the same time, the United Nations cautioned that the surging violence is severely undermining aid operations across northern Ethiopia and demanded that all belligerents permit unobstructed passage for emergency relief efforts to reach affected populations.